Pipe-wrench.



H. G. NORWOQD. PIPE waprgcfi. APPUCATION mm MY 6, 19x54 1,21 8,576. Patented Mar. 6, 1917.

. UNITED STATES r -irnnr curios,

HARRY G. NdRWOOZD, OF STOVALL, NORTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR T0 HOWARD HALL,

OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

PIPE-WRENCH.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY G. Nonwoon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stovall, in the :county of Granville and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pipe- W'renches, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to improve ments in wrenches, pliers, tongs and similar tools or implements of the class adapted for use in gripping and turning pipes and other round or substantially round objects, and

the primary objects of the invention are to provide a tool or implement of this character which is relatively simple and inexpensive in construction, it being composed of but few parts which can be made cheaply; to provide a tool or implement of this class which can be readily and easily applied and removed relatively to the pipe or other object; and to provide a tool or implement of this class which is capable of obtaining a powerful leverage and in consequence a firm grip or hold upon the pipe or other object, and yet the tool is capable of being easily and quickly set or adjusted to accommodate it to pipes or other objects of diiferent sizes or diameters T6 these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvements, and. comhinations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out particu larly in the claims at the end of the specification.

" In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tool or implement constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, the same being shown adjusted for a pipe of one diameter.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig". 1 showing the tool or implement applied to a pipe of av different diameter, and

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing one of the adjusting slides.

Similar parts are designated by the same reterence characters inthe several views,

The present invention is applicable generally to tools or implements embodying cooperating relatiiely movable jaws adapted to grip or held between them a, pipe or other round or substantially round. object.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mare 6, 1917.

1916. Serial No. 95,869.

and have actuating levers connected there t0, the present invention providing an operating handle which acts on the, jaw-actuating levers through the medium of a leverage arrangement which. greatly increases the amount of force which can be applied to the. jaws to close them with a given eiiort applied to the operating handle, the leyerage arrangement being quickly and easily adjusted relatively to the jaw-actuating levers whereby the tool or implement may be set or adjusted to accommodate pipes or ob jects of different diameters or sizes. The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing and will be hereinafter described in'detail. It is to be understood, however, that the invenion is not restricted to the particular construction shown, as equivalent constructions are contemplated and will be included with in the scope of the claims. L;

In. the present instance, the tool or implement is of a type adapted to grip pipes or other round or substantially round it comprising a pair of 1 and 2 which are. pivotally connected by the pivot 3 and are provided with actuating levers 4 and 5 which ar connected rigidly to the jaws 1 and 2, respectively. \Vith this arrangement, approaching movement of the jawactuating levers at and 5 causes a. relative separating movement or the jaw and, conversely, relative separating movement of the lovers 4i and causes aclosing or relative approaching movement of the jaws. The jaws are provided with faces suitable to engage and obtain a suitable hold upon the pipes or other objects to be turned or manipulated. I the present instance, the jaw 1 has faces 6 and 7 to engage the object, while the jaw 2 has similar or complement-a1 faces 8 and 9 to engage the pipe or object. The engaging faces 6 and 7 of the jaw l and the faces 8 and 9 of the jaw 2 are separated suitable distances in order that these engaging faces of the jaws, when the latter are closed on the pipe or objec with the pipe or object at d objects,

around the circumference of thefpipe or object and crushing of the pipe and mar-ring of the surface of the pipe or object are 'snbstantia'lly avoided. This arrangement or" engaging faces is particularly advantageous when the tool or implement is being used to turn or manipulate relatively thin tubing and especially when brass tubing is being manipulated. In using the tool or iniplemeht upon brass tubing, these engaging faces 6, 7, 8 and Dinay be plain or smooth.

Where the tool or implement is to be used upon iron pipes or'the like, these engaging faces are preferably serrated. as shovvir In order to enable the tool or implement to be used upon pipes or objects which vary considerably in diameter, a second set of engaging faces may be provided on the jaws to accominodate pipes or obiects of smaller diameters or sizes than those with which the engaging faces 6, 7, 8 and 9 are used As showin the jaw 1 is provided With a sec- 0nd set of engaging faces 10 and 11, while the jaw 2 is provided with a second set of engaging faces 12 and 13, the faces 10 and 11 being preferably spaced to engage the pipe or object at differentplaces in 1ts circumfercnce, while the faces 12 and 13 are also preferably spaced to engage the pipe or object at different places in its circumference. The second set of engaging faces may be conveniently located on the lfNS between the set of engaging faces first mentioned and the pivot, and the engaging faces of the second set may either be plain or smooth, or they may be serrated or rough- "ened, as shown.

The means provided by the present invention for operating the jaw-actuating levers comprises alever arrangement which increases or multiplies the ratio of transmission of power fromthe handle to which the power is applied and the jaws which grip the pipe or object, and this lever arrangement is capable of being easily and quickly adjusted to accommodate the tool or implement to pipes or-objects ot'dilt'erent diameters. This lever arrangement consists, preferably, of a. pair of slides l4- a nd 15, these slides being mounted and movable lon gitudinally on the actuating levers l and 5 of the respective jaws. and 17 may be provided toprevent detachment of the slides relatively to the actuating levers. An operating lover or handle 18 of any suitable length is provided, and this operating lever or hand pivotally con- Suitable stops 1% propriate set of engaging faces, depend-lg upon the diameter or size of the pipe or -t ject, and the operating lever or handle in is then moved longitudinally in a direction toward the pivot 3 connecting the jaws. Such movement of the ope ratinglever or handle causes the slides 14 and 15 to move toward the inner ends of the jaw-actuating levers i and 5, and because of the divergent relation of these actuating levers, the free ends of the latter will be spread apart and the jaws will be drawn together, and hence this movement of the operating lever or handle 18 causes the jtl-WS to close upon the pipe or object. A forceapplied to the operating lever or handle 18 tending to move the .outer end of the same toward the actuating lever 5 will act with greatly increased loverage to spread apart the actuating levers a and 5, causing, in consequence thereof, a firm gripping of the pipe or object by the jaws, and when this force applied to the operating lever or handle reaches the requisit-e amount, the pipe or object gripped by the jaws will be turned in the direction in which the force is applied to the operating lever or handle. As shown, the tool or implement is adapted to turn the pipe or pbjcct in a clockwise direction, but where it is desirable to turn the pipe or ob ect in an opposite direction, it is only necessary to reverse the position of the tool orimplement only necessary .to reverse the direction of force applied to the operating handle or lever, that is to say, to move the free end of the lover or handle 18 toward the lever 4, the release of the tool or implement being also eliected by moving the operating lover or handle longitudinally outwardly or toward the free ends of the lovers 4: and 5, such movement of the operating lever or handle causing the jaws to be opened, due to the convergent relation of the actuating lovers 4 and 5.

I claim asmy invention i 1. An implement of the class described comprising cooperative jaws having actuating levers. an operating handle, and means pivotally connecting said handle to said actuating levers, said means being movable longitudinally on the respective levers.

2. An implement of the class described comprising cooperative jaws and levers for actuating them, an operating lever having leverage-increasing means operatively connecting it to said actuating levers, tlie operating handle being adjustable bodily in a direction longitudinally of the actuating levers.

3. An implement of the class described comprising cooperating aWs havin actuating levers, an operating handle, and {slides pivotally connected to said handle and adjustable longitudinally on the respective actuating levers.

4. An implement of the class described comprising jaw-actuating levers arranged in angular relation to one another, slides movable longitudinally on said levers,. and an operating handle pivotally connected at different points in its length to the respec-.

ti ve slides.

comprising pivoted jaw-actuating levers arranged 1n angular relation to one another5 slides adjustable longitudinally of the, re-' spective levers and an operating handle having a portion arranged between send levers and connected at different points to the respective slides, the opposite end of the handle extending beyond said. levers.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of the subscribing Witness.- HARRY G. NORWOOD.

Witness: Crms. S. .HYER. 

